NJ Gov. Signs Ride Hail Safety Law After Murder

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a safety law for app-hailing services in June, named after a college student who was murdered after getting into a car she thought was her Uber. “Sami’s Law,” which will take effect in March 2020, will mandate that app-based drivers in the state place illuminated signs and digital barcodes on their vehicles. Violators would be subject to a $250 fine.

Samantha Josephson, a New Jersey native and a 21-year-old student at the University of South Carolina (USC), was last seen March 29 outside a bar at about 2:00am. She had called for an Uber and got into a black car she mistakenly thought was her driver. The next day, her body was found about 90 miles away. A man has been charged with her murder.

In a statement, New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, who represents the district where the Josephsons live and who authored the proposal, praised NJ for being the “first state to pass legislation that mirrors the federal version of Sami’s Law” and expressed hope to “see enactment of a federal Sami’s Law so that [app-hailing] customers are equally protected in all 50 states.”